You're never too old to start something

You’re never too old to start something AT 76, JOAN DYLE FINDS THE FUN IN FITNESS

Alyssa Dearborn

It is always interesting to see how life chooses to come full circle, such as how Joan Dyle - a seasoned fitness instructor - found herself working with Jessica DesRosiers, the associate director of health strategies for the YMCA of Central New York as well as a former high school gym class student of Dyle’s.

“I was a phys. ed. teacher in a high school and I was looking for something different to do. I saw Jackie Swanson and the Michael Douglas Show - this was a thousand years ago - and I thought, aerobic dance, that’s something I could teach,” Dyle said when asked how she became involved with the YMCA.

“So I taught myself aerobic dance and one of the girls, she was a history teacher, heard from one of the kids that they liked this aerobic dance thing.” she continued, “She worked out at the downtown Y, so she told the fitness director who was there at the time about it. So we met together and I showed her what I was doing and then a program came up through the YMCA out of Baltimore that was called ‘Aerobics in Motion.’ They asked me if I wanted to go down and be certified, to do that and work at the Y.” Forty years later, Joan Dyle has taught everything from kickboxing to step. But she now generally teaches the YMCA’s yoga class and substitutes for other instructors. Despite having years of experience in fitness education, she is still looking to learn more. “You’re never too old to start something,” she said, “You’re never too old to learn at the beginning. This is different, but I started taking dance classes when I was 50. The instructor was a former student and I was older than any of the mothers of the kids. Because I was at a stage in my teaching career where things were getting old, I wanted to put myself back into the feeling of a beginner learner. So taking dance, it got myself back into a beginning exercise type program. You’re never too old to do something, but you have to be willing to put yourself out there and give it a try.”

Photos by Sophie Proe

It is important for people of all ages to remember that living a healthy lifestyle requires just a little bit of willingness to put oneself out there. According to Jessica DesRosiers, initiative and persistence can go a long way in the pursuit of lifelong health.

“I think a lot of it goes hand in hand with what Joan’s been talking about is, you know, if you don’t use it, you lose it.” DesRosiers said.

“I always tell people diabetes is not a death sentence.” she said when asked about preventing common ailments. “There’s ways to work with that and work around it and prevent it. The YMCA has tons of different programming to keep you moving, but also to address chronic disease. That way you can, again, live a healthier life. You don’t have to say that it’s a death sentence.”

According to DesRosiers, one of the easiest ways to find the motivation to exercise is to use it as a means of socializing. The support that comes from joining a fitness class, exercising at a gym, or just participating in activities with a friend can enrich a fitness experience. Connecting is so vital to wellness, Jessica DesRosiers said that the YMCA encouraged its members to participate in their fitness classes online when the gyms were closed during the pandemic.

“Find a friend you can do something with. The Y has a lot of group things and I think the power of a group is really what brings a lot of people success. People look forward to coming at 10:30 to a class because they’re going to see people that they recognize and it makes them feel good about themselves.”

“We’re not an intimidating type of facility.” DesRosiers continued, “We are more than a gym. We have people who just come in for coffee in the lobby to socialize because just being social is wellness. So it looks different for everyone and I think we have a little bit of something to offer the entire age range of people. Living a healthy lifestyle is not only important to Dyle because she teaches physical education, but also because it allows her to continue making an impact.

“I wanted to be a good image for my kids that I was teaching. And it just gets into your blood so you feel bad when you don’t do it. You feel much better when you keep going than when you stop. The old adage that I always live by is that you can store fat, but you can’t store fitness.”

When asked if there was one thing that she wanted others to know about personal health and wellbeing, she said, “Try to get out of the house for more than just shopping and stuff. Find somebody to meet and get to the Y or just go out for a walk. It’s just very healthy to get away from your house for a while, especially during these times. They also need to know that they don’t need to work out every day for an hour. They can work out for five minutes once or twice a day and add time. It doesn’t have to be an hour life sentence all the time because I think that it kind of discourages people. So find the time that works for you. Find the amount of time that works for you and start someplace. It doesn’t matter where, just start someplace and keep it going. It’s important to find something you like, too, because everybody thinks that ‘okay, in order to be fit, I have to run on a treadmill.’ If you hate it, don’t do it. Find something you enjoy.” SWM